Blogs

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates have not yet posted their lineup for tomorrow’s spring training opener against the Phightin’ Phils, but Philly Daily News beat writer David Murphy has dug up his team’s batting order: 1. Jimmy Rollins, ss; 2. Shane Victorino, cf; 3. Raul Ibanez, lf; 4. Ryan Howard, 1b; 5. Geoff Jenkins, rf; [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — Backup infielder Luis Cruz sustained a strained left hip flexor during the first hour of today’s final workout at Pirate City. Cruz is expected to be out up to a week. • Manager John Russell, like the players, is eager to get the Grapefruit League season under way. “It’s time to take [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — Zach Duke is scheduled to throw just one inning Friday in his spring training debut. Other candidates for the rotation — Ian Snell, Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Jason Davis, Tom Gorzelanny — will each make two-inning appearances. However, Duke said there is nothing unusual about his setup and his short initial outing [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates have set their pitching assignments for the first four spring training games. • Wednesday: Chris Bootcheck, Matt Capps, Donnie Veal, Romulo Sanchez, Ron Uviedo, Juan Mateo, Craig Hansen, Evan Meek and Jesse Chavez will pitch one inning apiece. The Phillies will throw lefty Jamie Moyer and righty Joe Blanton. • [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — Third baseman Andy LaRoche, who’s resting a sore lower back, will miss Wednesday’s Grapefruit League opener against Philadelphia and likely also the next day’s game against Boston. “I doubt we’d just throw him out there in the first game after missing a few days,” manager John Russell said this afternoon. The Pirates [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — Behind closed clubhouse doors, manager John Russell is not a screamer when things go wrong. “So you think,” Russell said, with a wink. Russell may appear to be stoic, but the players know how much the game means to him. More importantly, they know to listen when he speaks. “He’s brought a [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates this morning exercised the 2010 option for manager John Russell. “J.R. met or exceeded expectations in his first year as the Pirates manager,” GM Neal Huntington said. “His club worked hard to play the game properly and battled from the first out until the last. “His leadership, knowledge, attention to [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — Reclining at his locker before the start of a morning workout, Pedro Alvarez was relaxed and personable. He smiled a lot, and there was genuine warmth in his voice. That changed when the questions turned to his contract dispute last summer. Alvarez half-turned on his chair and stared at a flat-screen TV [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — Today’s workout will get under way without a pair of third basemen, Andy LaRoche and Neil Walker. LaRoche is sitting out for the second straight day after having back spasms Wednesday. It’s a smart decision, since temperatures are in the high 50s with a stiff, chilly wind. “I could go today, but [...]

BRADENTON, Fla. — Today’s round of workouts at Pirate City was about as mundane as possible. Pitchers worked on pitchouts, as well as the always exciting “sudden-look-at-first-base-and-hold-the-ball-in-the-air” drill. Most of the players were done in about two hours. There were 30 minutes of fundamental instruction — grounders! grounders! grounders! — and then everyone practiced catching [...]